In ancient Rome, this was the day of Lupercalia, the Feast of Juno Februa – she who gives our month its name. Queen of the Goddesses, Juno represented the inner essence of femininity found in every woman. Part of this power was the great gift of motherhood which, throughout human history, has been a dangerous occupation for women. Such rituals as the one the Roman poet Ovid describes here emphasized the risk women took with their lives in bringing forth their children.

Whenever we enact the creative power of the goddess, we open ourselves to risk and potential loss. This deep truth is often hidden today, when creativity is diminished to entertainment. But to truly create something new, we must encounter our fears and our despairs, as well as our hopes and great dreams. Queenly Juno reminds us of the power and risk of the creative imperative.

It all starts with two red candles and a small piece of chocolate. Light the candles and eat the chocolate just before reciting this verse:

“Candles glow and love grow, Fill my heart with sacred play. Love be
near and love be clear, Open hearts so they can hear. Expressions of
love, joy, and trust, Not confused by want and lust, Magnify my love to
see, The heart whose love is meant for me. Love’s great beauty, Love’s
great truth Is in my heart and spirit too. Open my heart to the one for
me; Open my eyes so I can see. If another heart yet waits for me, Reveal
my soul mate, whe’er he may be. Make me wise to love as you. Reveal my
soul mate, loving and true. Fill my true love’s mind with thoughts of
me. Happy, caring, loving, and free. Keep me happy, cheerful and true,
Patiently awaiting my lover new. True love will come when time is right,
May it be this very night. If time be right, and I be prepared, Speed my
love’s journey with no time spared. So mote it be.”

An unusual park can be found in north-central Indiana. It exists not for the people of the state, but as a preserve for wolves and other wild canines that still roam this industrialized state. On Friday evenings, just before sundown, a guide takes parties out to small hill. There is no light except the Moon’s. Everyone stands in silence waiting for the ancient song of the wolves to begin. You may feel you’ve been holding your breath when finally the first howl of the night is heard echoing from another hilltop. Soon the chorus is picked up by the other wolves, a discordant yet beautiful song. As you raise your head to join the chorus, you may feel a primal stirring inside you. You know without being told that this is an ancient magic. Wolves mate for life, and often will remain in their birth packs unless dominance issues force part of the pack out of the area. In honor of this love and loyalty, the Romans instituted the festival of Lupercalia, or the Festival of the Wolf. Later on the church would rename this festival in honor of St. Valentine. If you want to call out for a mate, or you wish to strengthen your bonds with your present partner or coven, go outside on Lupercalia Eve and raise your voice high in the ancient wolf song. This will help bond you with your partner, and bond all who participate to beautiful Mother Earth. ~ Edain McCoy

About Shakti: The Tibetan supreme feminine power, Shakti does not stand by idly when we are in distress. She is an active, loving force for change. When called upon, Shakti manifests within us as intelligence, instinct, willpower, energy, action, and ultimately, magick. Shakti especially energizes communication skills, so that our words will be heard clearly and understood.

To Do Today: Losar is the Tibetan new year celebration, highlighted by monks casting out negative influences using brilliantly colored costumes, masks, and joyful dancing. Burn lotus incense (or any sweet, floral scent) to remember Shakti today, and fill your living space with her abundant power for postitive transformation. Alternatively, boil some pleasant-smelling cooking spices in water to release their aroma and energy throughout the sacred space of your home.

If possible, make a mask or a token that represents what you want Shakti to banish. Put it on (or carry it) early in the day, and remove it vigorously sometime during your festivities. Bury this with six stones (to represent Shakti’s control) to symbolically bury the bad habit or situation, giving it into Shakti’s care.

Live each Season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each. ~Henry David Thoreau (1817 – 1862)

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Remember the Maine Day
Lupercalia (Old Roman Festival to Paganism)
Faunus (Celebrates Animals Helping Humans)
Kamakura (Snow Cave Festival; Japan)
Senior Day
Flag Day (Canada)
St. Sigfrid’s Day (patron of Sweden)
Battleship Day
Decimal Day (UK)
St. Euseus’ Day (patron of shoemakers)
National Gumdrop Day

The Lupercalia was one of the most important Roman festivals, a rowdy fertility festival loosely connected to the legend of the wolf that suckled the twin babies, Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, in her cave the Lupercal on Palatine Hill.

On this day, a band of priests called Luperci gathered at the Lupercal, sacrificed goats and a puppy and made offerings of a sacred grain mixture, mola salsa. Two youths were smeared on the forehead with the sacrificial blood, which was wiped off with swatches of milk-soaked wool. After a feast, they stripped off their clothes, wrapped themselves in the still-warm, still-wet skins of the sacrificed goats and ran around the circumference of the hill, striking everyone they met with goatskin thongs, called februa. Being struck by these whips was considered lucky for women who wanted to become fertile.

The whipping may have served several functions. It may have stirred up the blood. Or it may have been considered an expiation, a way of driving out sins and demons (as the Japanese expelled them at Setsubun by throwing beans (see Feb 5)). A similar custom is found at Carnival time in France and Germany: inflated pork bladders, said to contain the souls of the dead, are attached to sticks and used to beat members of the opposite sex.

When the Pope first tried to ban the Lupercalia in the 5th century, there was so much outrage that the papal residence was completely surrounded by the angry mob. He backed off and the festival was not officially banned again until the next century.

Feb 15: Lantern Festival
The culmination of the New Year’s festivities occurs on the 15th day of the first Chinese lunar month, during the full moon, with the Feast of the Lanterns. The Chinese hang lanterns of all shapes and sizes from doorways. Popular designs include lanterns shaped like red carp and goldfish and sheep (because the word for sheep is the same as the word for good auspices). Also popular are multifaceted good-luck lanterns, designed to resemble a water caltrop, a root vegetable whose name in Chinese sounds the same as the word for good luck.

Sweet rice balls (yuan xiao), are the traditional food for this holiday. Traditionally they are made by dipping a kernel of flavored sugar repeatedly in rice flour and water to form successive layers. The balls are then boiled in water until the sugar center dissolves into syrup. The simpler version, usually served today, involves stuffing the sweet rice balls with red bean paste, sweet crushed sesame seeds or peanut paste. Making the rice balls is a family ritual and while they are being made, family members only mention good things, to insure luck for the coming year.

The day of Mars…also Ares, Tiwaz, Tiw (from whom it is named), Tuisco, and Tyr. Tuesday is ruled by Mars, whose Magickal influences are: Passion, courage, aggression, and protection. Tuesday comes under the influence of Mars, the planet associated with vitality, passion, ambition, and raw, unabashed power. Mars energy makes the mind acute, and the body restless; therefore, on Tuesday we are likely to exert ourselves physically and take action to achieve goals. This day is dynamic and high-spirited, and the prevailing energies may include carelessness and destructiveness as well, so it is good to be cautious—especially while traveling. Tuesday is the proper day of the week to perform rituals involving courage, physical strength, revenge, surgery, and the breaking of negative spells.

Tiw was a God of athletics, combat, and law.
Consider meals to improve physical well-being, encourage justice, or increase strength and strategy.